If anyone thought that Asian Carp wouldn’t see the Great Lakes system, better think again. Evidence of this nuisance species has been detected in Lake Erie. It’s just a matter of a short span of time before they are in Lake St. Clair.

Once they begin to establish themselves, we wonder how, in such large bodies of water, they might be eradicated.

This is similar to closing the barn door after the horse gets out. They’re here folks. Now we are going to have to get into high gear and learn how to deal with them.

If you don’t think it matters much-one more exotic species in our lakes-think again. This has all the signs of having a dramatic impact on Michigan’s sportfishing industry.

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The following information comes from both Ohio and Michigan Department’s of Natural Resources:

Six samples from Lake Erie have turned up positive for Asian carp eDNA. These sixsamples were out of a total of 417 taken since August, 2011. More than 2,000 samples have been taken from the Great Lakes Basin since 2010.

The positive samples came from Sandusky and north Maumee bays showing the presence of Asian carp eDNA in Michigan and Ohio waters and represent less than 1.5 percent of Lake Erie samples.

The samples indicated positive for big head carp eDNA and silver carp eDNA. Electroshocking began recently with no evidence of Asian carp found.

However, additional testing and monitoring are planned by the Ohio and Michigan Departments of Natural Resources in conjunction with partner agencies.

The findings indicate the presence of genetic material left behind by the species, such as scales, excrement or mucous, but not the establishment of Asian carp in Lake Erie.

Positive eDNA tests are regarded by the scientific community as an indicator of the species’ recent presence, however, positive results can occur whether the organism was alive or dead.

While the eDNA findings suggest the possible presence of the invasive species, officials have no physical evidence the fish have migrated to the Great Lakes.

Prior to 2003, three individual bighead carp were collected in Lake Erie. No additional observations have been reported during the past decade.

“The results from these water samples are certainly concerning, as this marks the first time Asian carp eDNA has been detected in water samples from Lake Erie, or any of the Michigan waters intensively surveyed for the presence of invasive carp,” said Michigan DNR Fisheries Division Chief Jim Dexter.

“Protecting the Great Lakes from the threat of Asian carp is critical to the health of our sport and commercial fisheries and to the quality of life in Michigan. We are actively engaged in Asian carp surveillance programs throughout the Great Lakes, including Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, and the Department stands ready to take the necessary and appropriate actions to investigate and respond to these test results.”

In response to the positive test results, officials from the Michigan and Ohio DNRs, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and White House Council on Environmental Quality are developing a plan of action in collaboration with the eDNA research team to obtain follow-up samples and test results as quickly as possible. Test results from future water samples will dictate the nature of further response methods.

Since 2010, the Michigan DNR, Ohio DNR, USFWS, University of Notre Dame, Central Michigan University and the Nature Conservancy have partnered to collect water samples from Great Lakes basin waters, including the Chicago Area Waterway System, southern Lake Michigan, western Lake Erie and tributary streams of lakes Michigan and Erie.

The collaborative early-detection Asian carp surveillance program is funded by the USFWS with a federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant, administered under the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework.

Asian carp, including bighead and silver carp, pose a significant threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem and economy. Anglers are urged to become familiar with the identification of Asian carp, including both adults and juveniles, as the spread of juvenile Asian carp through the use of live bait buckets has been identified as a potential point of entry into Great Lakes waters.

A video demonstrating how to identify bighead and silver carp can be viewed on the USFWS YouTube channel at http://youtube/B49OWrCRs38.

Identification guides, frequently asked questions, management plans and an online reporting form are available online at www.michigan.gov/asiancarp and www.wildohio.com, or call 800-WILDLIFE.

NOTEBOOK:

A total of 708,650 antlerless deer licenses for the upcoming season was adopted by the Natural Resources Commission (NRC).

The approval accounts for a total of 70,750 public-land antlerless deer licenses and a total of 637,900 private-land antlerless deer licenses. The changes result in a decrease of 47,550 licenses from 2011.

In the northern Lower Peninsula, the number of private-land licenses available has been decreased by 23,500, while public-land licenses have been decreased by 1,300.

In the southern Lower Peninsula, 4,150 fewer private-land antlerless licenses will be available in 2012, and the total public-land quota was decreased by 2,350.

Deer populations remain above goal throughout much of the region, though numbers do appear to be approaching desired levels in some areas.

“Although antlerless license quotas were reduced overall this year, we still had the opportunity to give hunters ample chances to take antlerless deer across the state,” said DNR Deer and Elk Program Leader Brent Rudolph.

“Interest in seeing more bucks and bigger bucks is increasing among Michigan hunters, so we encourage those individuals to pass a buck and harvest a doe instead.”